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January 8th, 2022
A while back, our friend Vince Bottomley in the UK wrote an excellent article for Target Shooter Magazine. Vince offers “solid-gold” advice for new F-TR and F-Open shooters. Vince reviews the cartridge options, and offers suggestions for a shooter’s first (and hopefully affordable) F-Class rifle. Vince also reviews various bipod choices for F-TR and discusses optics options (from $300 to $3000).
Here’s a short sample from the Target Shooter Magazine article:
Getting Started in F-Class by Vince Bottomley
As membership secretary of a large club, one of the questions I’m frequently asked – “What’s the best way to get started in F-Class?” My club has an F-Class shoot every couple of weeks at ranges from 300 to 1000 yards and, not surprisingly, it’s very popular.
F-TR or Open Class?
From a shaky start way back in 2004, the F-TR Class is now proving as popular as Open Class and, at GBFCA League shoots and club shoots, many shooters choose to start with a 308, shooting off a bi-pod – in other words F-TR. In Open Class, the 7mm WSM soon established itself as the “must have” cartridge – if you wanted to win but, the WSM’s appetite for barrels eventually brought another 7mm cartridge into play – the 284 Winchester. This 50-year-old stalwart was revived a decade or so ago as the 6.5-284 and indeed this cartridge found some favor with F-Class pioneers – before the potency of the WSM was discovered. If you don’t mind shelling out for a couple of barrels per year (barrel life is about 750 rounds with the WSM) go for the 7mm WSM but, if you require a decent round-count, then opt for the .284 Win and learn to read the wind a bit better!
F-TR Rifle at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
Scopes for F-Class
If you will be shooting 1000 yards then I would recommend at least 32 power and preferably a variable – like the 8-32. The cheapest “usable” scope in this range is the Sightron 8-32x56mm SIII. It’s a great scope for the money and at under $1000 (in the USA) it’s half the price of some of its competitors. It’s also light – at 1.5 lbs – and there are some great reticles for the F-Class shooter – like the LRMOA.
Read Full Article on Target Shooter Magazine Website.
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April 22nd, 2019
The King of 2 Miles (KO2M) event has gone global. This past weekend, in France, talented long-range marksmen competed at the first-ever Euro version of K02M. The King of 2 Miles in France was conducted April 20-22, 2019 at Camp de Canjuers, a French military zone in Southern France, west of the city of Nice.
The Finals targets were placed at 2657, 3038, and 3576 yards. The longest distance is a bit more than two statute miles (2.0318 miles to be precise), so this was a genuine two-mile competition. During the Finals, conditions were extremely tough, with heavy winds. Hitting the Finals first target (at 2657 yards) on a cold bore proved impossible for most of the shooters. But French shooter (and new King) Bruno Put prevailed, scoring two hits at 2657, and one each at 3038 and 3576.
K02M in France winner Bruno Put (center) with his match-winning rifle. We are told this is chambered in .375 Snipe-Tac, a .408 CheyTac case necked down to .375 caliber and shoulder blown out to 35°.
King of 2 Miles France Results:
Click chart photo above to see large version.
Frenchman Bruno Put Wins K02M France
Hail to the King! We congratulate Bruno Put, the new King of 2 Miles in France. Bruno dominated the Finals, scoring hits at all three distances to finish with 25,368 points. He got two hits at 2657 and one each at 3038 and 3576. We are told Bruno was shooting a .375 Snipe-Tac rifle with Warner 361gr Flatline bullets in Peterson brass (according to sources). Conditions were challenging and Bruno was the only finals competitor to score hits at 3038 yards and 3576 yards. Paul Phillips got one hit at 2657 yards, but no other competitor (except Bruno) managed ANY hits in the Finals. K02M founder Eduardo reported: “We had very difficult conditions with fish-tailing winds that complicated hugely the shooting. But even in these conditions Bruno Put was able to reach the 2 miles target.”
Benjamin San Marco during qualifying stages at Camp de Canjuers. Photo by Target Shooter Magazine.
For those who’ve attended the North American K02M at Raton, New Mexico, there was a familiar face in France — Paul Phillips of the Global Precision Group and Team Applied Ballistics. Paul finished second overall, with a Finals score of 19,954 points.
Paul was shooting on the three-man Team BCM squad with two Italians, Gian Molina, and Gianfranco Zanoni. The trio did great in the prelims, placing first (Molina), third (Phillips), and fifth (Zanoni). All three team members made the Finals — a very impressive collective performance. Their final places were Phillips 2nd overall, Molina 3rd, and Zanoni 6th.
Paul reported: “After a long day of shooting, the top ten qualifiers [moved on to] the Finals. Due to inclement weather rolling in, [match directors held] all qualifiers in one day. The wind was pretty much a tail wind all day which benefited the faster shooters greatly.”
Many leading companies have helped Paul Phillips and his team: Applied Ballistics LLC, Bartlein Barrels, Barrett, BAT Machine, Bullet Central, CROSSTAC, Cutting Edge Bullets, Edgewood Bags, Garmin, Holland’s, Kryptek, McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, Nightforce Optics, Peterson Cartridge Co., Vihtavuori Powders.
March Scopes Europe and GS Precision products on display. Target Shooter Magazine photo.
Camp de Canjuers in France
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February 23rd, 2019
Image Courtesy TargetShooter.co.uk.
Our friends at Target Shooter UK Magazine recently reviewed an innovative new rifle action engineered and crafted in Canada. This features a Rem 700 footprint, with some clever features, including a 3-lug bolt with floating bolt head, dual ejection plungers, and integral recoil lug. The action is very smooth-running and seems well-suited to a variety of disciplines. It can take any Rem 700-compatible trigger. The reviewer tested this new action in a GS Precision rifle fitted with 26″ Benchmark barrel, KRG Whiskey 3 stock, and 10-oz. Trigger Tech Diamond trigger.
The Target Shooter Magazine reviewer was impressed by the Ultimatum Action and its features:
“I’m holding one of the first Ultimatum Precision actions to arrive in the UK and they are even more gorgeous than I remembered. The action is called the ‘DEADLINE’ – which is neatly incised into the multi-flat action body. The fluted bolt-body is a beefy 21mm diameter (most custom actions are 18mm) and the bolt-shroud and rear tang have been tastefully re-designed.”
“The Ultimatum Precision Deadline action is a joy to use with its slick, short-throw [60-degree] bolt-lift.”
“The action is machined from 4340 HTSR steel with a LHN (Liquid Hard Nitride) coating, which gives the action an attractive black sheen and is wear-resistant and corrosion resistant. The fluted bolt incorporates a floating bolt-head design – similar idea to the Savage – which means that caliber changes are a cinch, especially with the option of a Savage-type, barrel-nut fixing. The Ultimatum Precision bolt is however a three-lug bolt, which usefully keeps bolt-lift to 60 degrees. Other useful features are the integral recoil-lug, dual ejection plungers in the bolt-face, and a pinned +20 MOA Picatinny scope rail.”
For more information on the Ultimatum Precision Actions, KRG stocks, and Benchmark barrels, contact GS Precision via this email: info [at] gsprecision.org.uk.
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December 12th, 2016
Our British friend Vince Bottomley has had a chance to test the new Vortex 15-60x52mm Golden Eagle scope, priced at $1499.00 in the USA. How does this affordable, high-magnification target scope compete with other comp scopes that cost hundreds (or even thousands) more? Very well indeed according to Vince. He says the Golden Eagle can definitely run with other “big name” high-magnification zoom optics designed for F-Class, Benchrest, and Long Range competition. Vince has written a detailed 15-60x52mm Golden Eagle review for Target Shooter Magazine. Shooters looking for a high-magnification zoom optic should definitely read Vince’s review.
Vince notes that the Vortex Golden Eagle offers impressive performance for the price: “The stunning March 10-60 is the current choice of the serious F-TR shooter – this hand-built scope weighing just 25 oz. from the Deon Optical Corporation of Japan is as near to perfection as any long-range competition shooter could wish. There are several other scopes which have also stood up to scrutiny against the March — the 7-42 Leupold and the Nightforce 15-55 Competition for example. So, why are we getting so excited about the Vortex? One reason – the price!
Sensibly, Vortex manages to offer a product which ticks all the boxes but comes in at around two-thirds of [Leupold 7-42, Nightforce 15-55]. Fantastic value for a top-quality Japanese/American scope, especially considering the dollar/pound exchange rate following Brexit.”
Useful Reticle Design and Innovative Windage Knob
Vince liked the scope’s ECR-1 Reticle which provides true MOA-value hold-off/hold-over stadia (hash marks) at 40X. The Golden Eagle also offers an optional new type of windage knob that provides an increasing value count on both sides of the windage Zero. Vince says this was a smart feature: “The ‘both ways’ windage knob was great. At the end of the shoot, it was easy to know which way to turn it back to zero.”
Should You Buy One?
Here’s how reviewer Vince Bottomley answered that question:
“Well, a high-magnification zoom scope seems to be an F-Class essential, judging from the number of 10-60 March and 15-55 Nightforce scopes in evidence at any GB F-Class League match. If these three scopes were all in the same price-bracket, then the decision in choosing the Vortex 15-60 Golden Eagle would be more difficult but, when the Vortex is only two-thirds the cost of the other two. However, weight-wise, there’s a small penalty – at a tad under 29 oz., the Eagle is 3 oz. heavier than the March but, if you choose your rings carefully, you could pull some of that back.
Finally, Vortex offers probably the best ‘no quibble’ guarantee on the planet and, if you had any wavering doubts about buying a Golden Eagle, that should clinch it.”
UK readers interested in purchasing the Golden Eagle should Contact Osprey Rifles on OspreyRifles.com or e-mail Stuart on stuart@ospreyrifles.com
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March 30th, 2016
Are you a fan of 6.5mm rifle cartridges? Then you should visit TargetShooter Magazine and read Laurie Holland’s latest “magnum opus”. Laurie recounts the development of 6.5mm rifle cartridges and examines a host of “six-fives” including the well-known 6.5×55 Swede and more esoteric cartridges such as the 6.5×58 Vergueiro. Laurie looks at a variety of military 6.5mm cartridges, including Japan’s 6.5×50 Arisaka, as well as some big 6.5mm Magnums. This Editor shot a .260 Remington (essentially a necked down .308 Win) for quite a while. I was pleased to see that Laurie discusses the .260 Rem, along with its bigger brother, the 6.5-06.
Part One of a four-part series, this is a LONG article, which runs over 4000 words. There are more than a dozen photographs, showing both cartridge types and bullet types. In addition, cartridge specs are presented in two detailed tables. Here is a list of the notable 6.5mm cartridges Laurie references (and we may have missed a few):
6.5×47 Lapua
.260 Remington (6.5-08)
6.5×50 (Arisaka)
6.5×52 Carcano
6.5x53R Mannlicher
6.5×54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer
6.5×55 Swedish |
6.5×57 Mauser
6.5×58 Vergueiro
6.5×68 RWS
6.5-284 Norma
6.5-06 (6.5/.30-06)
6.5mm Remington Magnum
.264 Winchester Magnum |
In early 20th century the 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer was a highly-regarded hunting cartridge.
Here is a sample from Laurie’s 6.5mm Cartridge History:
The 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser and Other Early Designs
Thanks to the 6.5X55mm and its common name of ‘Swedish Mauser’ (it was a joint Swedish / Norwegian military development truth to tell), not forgetting first rate Lapua, Norma, and Sako ammunition and components, many associate the 6.5s with Scandinavian countries. However, the two Nordic nations weren’t alone in adopting 6.5mm designs during the back end of the 19th century, moreover Germany and Austria did as much to popularize the caliber. The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Romania, Portugal and Greece took the small caliber military route too, although some later decided to convert at least partially to larger bores.
However, once armies started to adopt lighter, pointed bullets at improved velocities in the .30-class designs starting with the German 7.92mm 153gr bulleted S-Patrone of 1905 which produced the then astonishing MV of 2900 fps in the G98 rifle, the 6.5s lost out as contemporary propellants couldn’t handle smaller calibers as efficiently. It’s significant that while some early users moved to larger caliber service rifles, no country [other than Japan] has adopted 6.5mm in the last 110 years although there have been some unsuccessful initiatives recently.
Prior to WW2, there had only been a single American attempt to produce a 6.5, the brilliant cartridge designer and riflemaker Charles Newton with his eponymous 256 design of 1913 which used a shortened and necked-down 30-06 case. The Western Cartridge Company loaded ammunition for Newton, a 129gr expanding bullet at a claimed 2760 fps MV and obtained in a longer barrel than those fitted to production rifles.
RWS introduced the powerful 6.5X68mm in 1939 and it is still in use in Europe.
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July 12th, 2015
Bench Barrels for Sound Attenuation
There’s something unusual about this range. Competitors are required to shoot through hoops. Vince Bottomley explains: “Competitors have to shoot with the rifle barrel inside a foam-lined plastic barrel, in an attempt to cut down on noise. This was a condition imposed by the local police but in practice, you don’t notice it as you are looking through a scope.” That looks pretty strange to us. Hopefully we won’t see these kind of restrictions imposed in the USA.
Here’s good news to report from the United Kingdom. The UK’s second 1000-yard benchrest facility just opened up in Scotland, near the town of Castle Douglas in the south of Scotland. Until now, Diggle was the only range running 1000-yard benchrest matches in all of the UK. With interest in long-range benchrest competition growing in the UK, it’s good to see a new 1K venue opening for business.
Read Full Report in Target Shooter Magazine
The new Ingleston Range in Castle Douglas is operated by the Galloway Small Arms Club. This club is affiliated with the United Kingdom Bench Rest Association (UKBRA), so any records established will be recognized by the UK governing body for benchrest shooting. Light Gun and Heavy Gun Classes are run according to American IBS rules. And, per UKBRA standards, there is also a third, Factory Rifle Class. Vince Bottomley reports: “The Range is located on a working farm and the GSAC members have worked tremendously hard to create a 1000-yard range from what is basically open countryside.”
Here’s the view looking downrange. What a beautiful place to shoot…
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June 3rd, 2015
Click Photo to read full test results in Target Shooter Magazine.
If you shoot a .308 Win, or any cartridge that uses a Large Rifle (LR) primer, you should read an important new article by Laurie Holland in Target Shooter Magazine. Holland, a talented shooter from the UK, tested no less than sixteen (16) different large primer types using a custom F-TR target rifle shot from the bench. Laurie loaded .308 Win ammo* with 16 LR primer varieties and then tested for average velocity, ES/SD, and group size. This may be the most comprehensive and thorough LR primer test ever done. Here are the primer types tested:
CBC Magtech 9½
CCI 200 LR
CCI BR2 Match
CCI 250 Magnum
Federal 210
Federal 210M Match
Federal 215M Magnum Match
Fiocchi Large Rifle |
Kynoch Large Rifle
Murom KVB-7 (PMC LR)
Norma Superflash LR
PMC LR Magnum
Remington 9½ LR
Remington 9½ M Magnum
Sellier & Bellot LR
Winchester WLR |
Test Rig: Osprey Rifles-built F-TR rifle with Savage PTA action, 32″ Bartlein 1:12″-twist ‘Heavy Palma’ barrel, and Dolphin Gun Company modular stock with an F-Open/Benchrest fore-end.
Some of Laurie’s results may surprise you. For example, would you guess that Sellier & Bellot primers had the lowest ES, by a significant margin? And get this, among ALL the primers tested, Rem 9½M Magnum primers produced the lowest velocity, while Rem 9½ LR (non-magnum) primers yielded the highest velocity. (The total velocity spread for all primers was 35 fps). That’s counter-intuitive and it’s odd that Rems were at opposite ends of the speed spectrum among ALL primers tested.
“The rationale for doing side-by-side tests is to see what effect primer choice has on ballistics, i.e. average velocities and MV consistency. There are a great many views on the subject, a few based on tests (including primer flame photography) but most apparently hearsay.” — Laurie Holland
Every serious hand-loader should definitely read the full test results to understand Laurie’s methodology and get all the details. This is an important test, with significant findings. But if you can’t spare the time right now, here are some highlights below:
Primer with Lowest Velocity: Remington 9½ M Magnum (2780 fps)
Primer with Highest Velocity: Remington 9½ LR (2815 fps)
Primer with Lowest ES/SD: Sellier & Bellot LR (12/3.1 fps)
Primer with Highest ES/SD: Remington 9½ M Magnum (47/14.0 fps)
Primer with Smallest Group Size: Remington 9½ LR (0.43″ average, three 5-shot groups)
Primer with Biggest Group Size: CBC Magtech 9½ (0.7″ average, three 5-shot groups)
Editor’s Comment: Laurie shot three, 5-shot groups at 100 yards with each primer type. The average group size for the top six primers varied by only 0.10″ (0.43″ to 0.53″), so one can’t conclude that one type is much better than another. Total group size variance (from best to worst) was 0.27″.
“The biggest surprise to me … came from an elderly (at least 10 years) lot of Czech Sellier & Bellot standard caps with an ES of 12 and SD of 3.1 fps, way below those of the nearest competitor. By contrast to the Fiocchis, they were an almost slack fit in the cases and this may have contributed to their consistent performance.” — Laurie Holland
NOTE: Values in chart are based on 15-Shot strings. The ES/SD numbers will therefore be higher than is typical with five-shot strings.
Testing 16 primer types was a huge task — we commend Laurie for his hard work and thoroughness. This extensive test is an important contribution to the “knowledge base” of precision shooting. Laurie’s findings will doubtless influence many hand-loaders who hope to produce more consistent ammunition, or achieve better accuracy. Credit should also be given to Target Shooter Magazine for publishing the results. Well done gentlemen…
*Reloading method for Test Ammo: “Test batches consisted of 16 or 17 rounds for each primer, charges thrown by an RCBS ChargeMaster and checked on lab-quality electronic scales, adjusted if necessary to within ± 0.04gn, so any charge weight variation would be under 0.1 grain which equates here to 5 fps.”
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January 22nd, 2015
We’ll give you a break from SHOT Show coverage by taking you across the Atlantic to Great Britain. There Chris Parkin has been putting a Savage F-TR Rifle through its paces. Chris has reviewed this popular rifle in a field test just published by Target Shooter Magazine. Chris wrote a very detailed and thorough review. If you are considering any factory-based rifle for F-TR competition you should read this article. It is lengthy, but the text and photos are good and it is worth the investment of time.
CLICK HERE to Read Savage F-TR Rifle Review
CLICK HERE to Download Savage F-TR Review as PDF File
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November 14th, 2013
 The November 2013 Edition of Target Shooter Magazine is now available. The “cover boy” on this edition is Irish shooter Joe Melia, winner of the 2013 European F-Class Championships held at England’s Bisley Ranges. This month’s Target Shooter Magazine features an in-depth report on the Euro F-Class event, a review of the CZ Sporter rifle by Dick Wright, a feature on Benchrest Shooting by our friend Vince Bottomley, and a variety of other interesting articles.
Download in PDF or iPad Formats
Target Shooter magazine is offered at a reasonable cost of just £0.83 (about $1.33 US) per issue. Target Shooter is currently available in two digital formats: 1) Downloadable PDF file; and 2) Apple iPad eZine available from the App Store.
NOTE: Past editions (prior to July 2013) are available to download for FREE from Target Shooter’s website. GO TO Free Download Page.
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April 6th, 2013
If you want to see the latest and greatest shooting hardware from the other side of the Atlantic, log on to Targetshooter.co.uk, and check out the recently-released April 2013 digital edition of Target Shooter Magazine. Now offered in an easy-to-read scrolling format, the April edition is a gear-head’s delight, with dozens of large photos showing new hardware on display at the IWA Outdoor Classics trade show. You’ll find full IWA show coverage, including coverage of some very exotic rifles and components that have yet to make it across the Atlantic. Target Shooter’s “man on the scene” at the IWA show was our friend Vince Bottomley, and he came away very impressed with many of the new products he saw on display.
Vince notes that the IWA show had more than 1200 exhibitors. That’s a big presence, even compared to the 1600 exhibitors at SHOT Show. IWA also had many of the larger European exhibitors who don’t exhibit in Vegas. Interestingly, Vince noted that “aluminum stocks are becoming the ‘industry standard’ — particularly for competition and tactical rifles. Thanks to… CNC machinery, these stocks are generally reasonably priced (often less than the fiberglass equivalent) and require little or no gunsmithing[.] In most cases, they also look superb, especially when anodized or Ceracoated. Even major manufacturers are offering aluminum-stocked rifles — check out Blaser, Steyr, Haenel, Zastava and of course Unique Alpine, Accuracy International, and Desert Tactical Arms.” There were also many interesting bipods, actions, and optics on display.
In addition to the IWA report by Vince Bottomley, the April edition of Target Shooter has a field test by Chris Parkin of the Savage Model 25 Lightweight Varminter, chambered in 17 Hornet. With a comfortable thumbhole stock, Savage’s Model 25 performed well and was ultra-silent as fitted with a suppressor. The April issue also spotlights a carbon-fiber-stocked beauty — the Ataman M2 Benchrest Air Rifle. This is the second of a two-part report by Carl Boswell.
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